Several blissful days passed without any incident. Well apart from the phone calls that Marinette continued to receive from either blocked or unknown numbers, but that was easy enough to explain away as a coincidence, or even persistent telemarketer calls. So Marinette ignored them as best she could, choosing blissful ignorance over adding something else to worry over.
As it was Mari had plenty to worry about, with her Uni load having ramped up substantially. A practical assessment for one class, an essay on fashion history in another and an upcoming exam for… something. I should probably check what that test is on and when it is.
Mari rubbed her eyes, dry and stinging from the uninterrupted hours of staring at a computer screen, researching and note taking. Who would have thought fashion history was so intense. "Okay, you know what. I'm done, if i have to write another sentence I'm going to throw up." Mari lent back in her chair waiting for Ayla to reply.
"Yup, I've had enough for the day, not that I was particularly productive anyway. Want to go get coffee?" Alya flipped her laptop shut in defeat and began to pack away her things, scattered all around the desk they occupied in the campus library. It was impressive the amount of mess they had managed to create in the three hours they had been there.
Mari pulled out her phone to check the time, a smiling photo of her and Ayla sitting on the beach lit up the screen and made her grin every time she looked at it. "It's five thirty, but it is Friday so why not, I don't need to sleep tonight anyway." Mari let out a small giggle as she began packing away her things.
"Sleep is for the weak" Ayla commented drily, a typical journalist's view on regular sleep patterns. Mari snickered to herself, not that fashion designers were known for keeping regular hours themselves, but Mari wasn't quite at that stage yet. If her study workload kept up the way it was it wouldn't be long though.
"You forget, I am the weak and sleep is life." As she spoke Mari yawned, just at the thought of sleep. The girls stood and made their way from the warm library into the swirling red and orange autumn leaves that decorated the grass and paths of the campus grounds.
Ayla nudged Marinette in the ribs with her elbow "Luka been keeping you up at night hey?" A cheeky half smile pulled at her lips for a moment before a sudden gust of wind blew her curly tangled locks into her face.
Marinette rolled her eyes, Ayla continued before Mari could open her mouth to talk "yeah, yeah I know. You're friends." Ayla made quotation marks in the air as she spoke. "Does Luka know that though? I've seen the way he is around you and… I just don't think that's all there is to it for him. And I know I don't know him like you do. I just don't want you getting in over your head."
Mari was silent as she mulled over Aylas words, the day Luka walked her to work flashed to mind; the tenderness when he kissed the side of her face, the way he pulled her into his lap and stroked her hair. Subconsciously Mari began to chew at her lip, her telltale nervous tick didn't go unnoticed by Ayla.
"Just kept it in mind kay?" Ayla placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder as she spoke, "now let's go get some coffee, you drove today yeah?" Still silent Mari gave a small little nod in answer as the girls continued to wander towards the student carpark.
As they approached the small, blue Peugeot Mari occasionally used when her parents didn't need it Ayla noticed something under the window wiper. "Uh oh girl, did you forget to put your parking pass on the dash again? Looks like you've got another ticket."
Mari groaned as she walked to the front of the car, "Not again, seriously! That's like the third one this year. As if I'm not paying enough in student loans as it is." As She reached for the paper though Marinette noticed it wasn't the same thin carbon paper of her usual tickets but a folder piece of crisp white card.
Curious Ayla moved closer to watch while Mari turned it over in her hands, the front simply marked with two large black X's. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure, it's not a ticket though, so that's nice." Mari looked at Ayla, making no attempt to open the card she continued to hold loosely on her hand, as if she was waiting for Aylas opinion first.
"Well? Are you going to read it?"
Mari bit at her lip to the point that it hurt, but still didn't move to open the letter. Suddenly her face felt too hot, her once comforting warm jumper now tugged at her throat, as if it was suffocating her, making air hard to come by. Marinette didn't even notice her hands were shaking as Ayla took the letter from her hand. She was a million miles away, in a lonely world of her own creation, not quite sure why she was reacting the way she was but the hot pin pricks that covered her body told her something was very wrong.
Beside her Ayla opened the letter to find the same heavy handed writing on the inside:You don't see me yet, I hope you do soon, you are perfect for me xx
"Mari, I think someone has a crush on you!" Ayla nudged Marinette playfully, again oblivious to the slight trembles that wracked her friends body.
"Ahh yeah I guess so," Mari whispered as she looked over the card, she hadn't told Ayla about her brush or pillow missing, or about the phone calls she was getting. She certainly hadn't told Ayla about the night she ran into Adrien in the middle of the street soaked and crying because she was sure she was being followed.
Marinette grabbed the note and quickly shoved it into the side pocket of her shoulder bag then unlocked the car speaking to distract Ayla from the note. Not something she was ready to deal with yet, maybe after she had digested the information she would tell her. For now though Mari wanted to oust it to the back of her mind with the other issues. School! I need to focus on school right now, everything else can wait. "So coffee, where are we going?"
…
What had started as a quick coffee date between Mari and Ayla had quickly progressed to Nino, and Adrien-who seemed to go everywhere Nino went- joining them at The Square, because of course that's where Nino wanted to go. The arrival of the boys had thankfully distracted Marinette and Ayla both from the letter that sat, now crumpled in Mari's bag.
The conversation easily flowed as they complained about the ridiculous workload they were all under, the downside of holidays drawing closer. "I didn't think it was possible, but somehow they managed to suck the fun out of music!" Nino whined around a mouthful of chips.
Adrien smiled at Nino, "man, you're making me second guess this Uni thing."
"Ya know, the thing about that is," Nino paused and pointed a sauce covered chip in Adrians direction. "You've actually got to decide on what you want to study first." He finished his sentence and shoved the chip into his mouth alongside the other six.
Adrien huffed before slouching his shoulders "I know, I know, but there's just nothing I'm really passionate about. You guys all knew what you wanted to do already." Adrien guestered around the table to his friends, all well on their way to creating a career of their own, chosen themselves based on their passions or interests. "I just don't know what I want, or have anything I excel at."
Ayla stared at him blankly "you mean, apart from being a world famous, uber successful model? Right?" Mari couldn't help but laugh, sure she was sympathetic to Adrien's plight, but the matter of fact way that Ayla pointed out his obvious success and Adrien failing to see it as such had her unable to help herself.
Mari's reaction earned her an unhappy pout from Adrien but she continued non the less "what do you like to do then? What do you do in your free time?" Adrien looked at her his head cocked to the side as he thought.
"Umm, I play video games, watch anime and go to the gym… I told you Mari, I'm very boring." Defeated Adrien placed his head on the table, earning him chuckles from around the table before Nino spoke up again,"dude, talk about first world problems, what was your favourite subject?" Nino gave his friend a reassuring pat on the back.
"I don't know, ugh. I'll think of something. Anyway it's not like I can do anything till the next admission intake so I guess I've got a bit of time to work it out." Pulling himself out of his slump Adrien sat back up, intent on a change in conversation, "so what's new with you girls? Since I know the ins and outs of Ninos life almost as well as I know mine."
Ayla sat up straighter at the question "Mari has a secret admirer!" she blurted it out excitedly before Mari had a chance to hush her. Too late, all eyes had turned their focus on Mari, fishing for more information.
Nino was the first to recover "oh, let me guess Luka?" he waggled his eyebrows at Mari "It's not secret if everyone knows already." he sent Ayla a bored look.
"It's not Luka! We've already discussed that, plus the feeling isn't mutual." Ayla spoke loudly, offended as if she wouldn't already know if there was something going on in her best friend's love life. Mari lent forward, covering her face with her hands at the attention on her.
"Luka? That's the guy that we went and watched sing the other day isn't? He was really good." Adrien looked at Mari in question who nodded slightly in agreement.
Ayla continued to talk. "No , it's got to be someone at the uni, they left it on Mari's car window, so they must know her a bit if they know what car she drives."
Adrien looked back at Mari "they left it on your car?" His eyes looked uncertain, almost sad for Mari, his voice soft. Mari again just nodded her head in reply, this time lifting her eyes to meet his. The exhaustion and stress that showed on her gentle face caused a tugging in his chest he couldn't explain, yet he wanted more than anything to easy whatever worries plagued her.
"So then, what's the plan for tonight?" Adrien beamed, looking around for an answer, "what do you normally do on friday nights?" his smile and excitement helped to pull Mari out of her sour mood.
"Umm, honestly not much, it kinda just depends on the day and how busy we are. Why did you have something in mind?" Despite whatever was happening in Maris life she still managed to give Adrien a smile filled with kindness and warmth, always making time for others.
"Nino and I were planning a movie night, but I'm sure we could do something together beforehand." Ayla volunteered the couple.
"Awesome! I was actually kinda hoping we could go check out the Skate Rink, I've never been but it looks like so much fun." Once again the table erupted in laughter.
"Deal! But you're responsible for taking Mari to the hospital, because I am absolutely not spending our date night up there, I still want some alone time with my girl." Nino reached out to shake a bewildered Adrien's hand in agreement, while Mari groaned at the teasing, and the possibility of face planting into the concrete.
"I'm sure you will be fine, we can just go slow." Adrien smirked at Mari, giving her a good humoured wink, unaware of the effect it had on her. Girl, get it together, school, you're focusing on school, not boys. Mari chided internally before she replied.
"Yeah, we'll see, but my track record isn't promising." Mari looked into her coffee, before taking the cup and downing what was left, she was going to need all the caffeine she could get to major it through rollerblading.
…
As it turned out but was a lot more fun than she expected, with the option of rollerblades and roller skates, which Mari found out are apparently two different things. Roller skates offered more stability for those less coordinated and also weren't as fast, so for Mari it was the obvious choice.
The rink itself was a large wooden floor roughly the same size as an ice rink used for hockey. The rink was enclosed by a sturdy fence that also acted as a handy railing which Mari held onto like a lifeline, not yet ready to leave its safety. The walls were lined with red and blue fluorescent lights, a disco ball hung from the ceiling, which thankfully wasn't in use at the time. Outside the rink were scattered seats, some facing the rink, others tucked away against the wall offering more privacy for those who wanted it.
While Mari clung close to the railing, Adrien and Nino were off, already competing with each other. Racing from one end of the rink to the other careful to dodge the small group of teens giggling and flirting as they slowly made their way around the peminiter. Mari watched the boys with only a slight scowl on her face at how effortless they had picked up the skill.
"Come on Mari just breathe and go slow you will be fine, you've just gotta let go of the railing, it's heaps easier than it looks." Ayla encouraged from a few meters away, skating in small circles beside Mari, clearly impatient to go and race with the boys, but also not willing to leave her friend alone.
"Umm, maybe in a minute, I'm fine. I just want to watch you guys for a bit, then I might come out." Mari shooed at Ayla with her hand, not wanting to keep her from having fun. Ayla was passionate, bold and fierce, a strong believer of anything a man can do she can do better and Mari knew she was dying to get out there and put the boys to shame.
Ayla frowned at Mari for a moment, still not convinced. "Honestly, I'm fine. Go show them how it's done." It was Mari's turn to encourage Ayla, when her words were not enough; she offered up a nervous smile, which was really all she could manage at the time. As if sensing Mari needed a moment to collect herself Ayla nodded and began to glide away effortlessly on her rollerblades as if she'd done it a million times before.
Mari stood leaning against the railing, more than content to watch her friends having fun, looping around each other, ducking and darting with an occasional twirl in an attempt to outdo each other. The music that played in the background only encouraged them, spurring them on as they laughed and bickered together. The sight made Mari smile to herself, glad that no matter what life threw at her she had precious friends there to offer her a brief distraction whenever she needed it.
Lost in her own thoughts she hasn't noticed Adrien skate up beside her until he spoke "hey, you doing okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to pick something that would make you uncomfortable." Worry crinkled his brows as he studied Mari's face.
"Oh, no I'm fine, I just needed a minute to get used to them," Mari gestured to her feet before looking up to meet Adriens eyes, which didn't looked convinced in the slightest as he continued to frown down at her.
"You sure? You seem… a little off today, I mean I know I don't know you that well but you've just been quiet tonight, distracted almost?" They stood closer now, with Adrien in front of her and the railing she had been leaning against effectively trapping her there. She bit at her bottom lip for a moment, not expecting Adrien to pick up on things even Ayla hadn't yet noticed.
"Yeah, I suppose I just have a lot on my mind at the moment, distracted is a good way to put it." Mari made an effort not to look at him as he spoke, not needing any more distractions at the moment and scared of the way it made her feel when he looked into her eyes, as if he could see things in there Mari herself couldn't.
"Did you want to talk about it?"
Mari took a breath "no, not yet. I'm… processing things still you know? Trying to deal with one thing at a time, thank you though." Adrien didn't press the issue, instead gestured towards the rink with an exaggerated flourish of his hand, the model in him sneaking out for just a moment.
"Skate with me then? I could use some company, I'm starting to feel like a third wheel out there." At the comment they both looked over to where Ayla and Nino skated and in hand, little distance between them as they leaned into one another.
"Haha yup, welcome to the club, at least I'm not the only one anymore." Tentatively Mari made her way from the safety of the barrier putting one foot in front of the other, she slowly built up momentum. Ayla had been right, it was easier then it looked. Before long Mari was even enjoying herself, the fear of falling quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she attempted to keep pace with Adrien.
Thirty minutes later everyone was red faced and covered in a thin layer of sweat, breathless but laughing they rolled to a slow stop against the barrier with Ayla speaking first "okay, that was fun but i'm more than ready to call it quits, im wrecked!"
"Aww, really? Don't go yet, we were having so much fun! Even Mari was finally enjoying herself" Adrien let out breathlessly, more from laughing then any actual exertion on his part. He looked at Ayla with his best puppy dog eyes in an attempt to get them to stay.
"Don't even try it model boy, if I can say no to Mari's bluebell eyes you stand no chance." Ayla leaned over to Mari giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek in farewell "I'll see you later girl, love you." Mari gave a quick hug back.
"Okay, love you, bye," she then turned back to Adrien "I can stay for a bit longer, I don't have anywhere to be, and I did promise you a rain check after the last time we hung out."
"Awesome! Thanks Mari, common, lets race! I'm sure you will win this time!" Adrien dragged Mari by the wrist to join him back on the rink, shooting her wink which sent her heart a flutter. Ugh why does he have to do that?! Does he even realise he's doing it? Stupid, sexy model. Mari growled internally.
"I think the only way I would even stand a chance is if you were skating blindfolded and backwards," Adrien's eyes light up at the idea, a dangerous smile split across his face. "Don't even think about it" Mari growled in a low threat, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I won't, only because I dont happen to have a blindfold on my person at the moment, of all the days to leave it at home." he gave her a fake pout, earning a disapproving scowl from Mari. "Unless you have one on you?" that comment had Mari gaping open-mouthed at him before she could reply.
"Adrien! what kind of person do you think I am?" her voice a high pitched, indigent shriek, while Adrien continued to lead her by the wrist as they made their way around the rink.
He smirked in reply "Apparently, a very popular one." Mari rolled her eyes, that was not a conversation she was going to be having with him tonight.
Intent to avoid the question Mari pulled her hand free from his grasp, skating off on her own, leaving Adrien to catch up to her, which he did of course without any effort. They skated together in comfortable silence, Adrien occasionally showing off, skating in circles around Mari while she focused on where she placed her feet and stayed upright.
On his third circle around Mari, Adrien began to talk again "So, was it just me imagining things before, or were you less than impressed wh-" he was cut short, having skated too close to Mari, his left foot went wide, sweeping Maris out from underneath her.
In an attempt to stop her from hitting the ground Adrien reached out to grab her arm closest to him, which only served to set Mari off balance further. So instead of simply falling, the momentum carried her in an arc causing her left foot to roll inwards and her skates to lift off the floor. When Mari did hit the ground it was awkwardly, legs splayed beneath her in different directions.
The pain was instantaneous and sharp rolling through Maris body in waves, hitching sobs escaped her throat before she could silence them as she tried to untangle herself and inspect the damage done to her poor, rapidly bruising ankle. Maris sobs brought Adrien rushing to kneel beside her.
"Oh god Mari, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Adrien's hands fluttered uselessly in the air, unsure how to help. Beside him Mari bit back tears nodding her head silently, despite the pain she was in, trying to reassure him. Gingerly Adrien lifted Maris foot off the ground and rested it in his lap to undo the laces. Despite his gentle movements Mari still winced as he removed the skates to better inspect the damage, the entire time he continued mumbling apologies.
Mari's ankle had already turned an impressive purple and was rapidly swelling. Having seen the fall a member of staff rushed over to the middle of the rink with an ice pack in hand, well prepared for the occasional accident.